Innocent Days
by Blood Red Kisses
Summary: Alternate Universe! Shy, quiet 12 year old Allison now resides in a foster home for troubled kids. Only, she's not trouble. What happens when she falls for a mysterious older mute girl? She just might become trouble!
1. So Called Empty Shower

Hello, people! I have a new fanfic! And a chapter fic at that! Yes, just what I need. ANOTHER fic to keep track of when I don't even update my current ones on a regular basis. But this idea popped into my head and I've always wanted to do a fic where the characters were children. I used to read the Buffy fics like that all the time! I still do.

So, pretty much, imagine all the House characters, ages ranging from eight to fifteen, in a foster home/boarding house thing. I'm not entirely sure what it is...But it's a major Alternate Universe. Well, I really hope you like this!

By the way, for those who don't know Thirteen's real name and do not wish to be spoiled, this might not be the best fic for you. For she is refered to by first name. All of them are...They are, after all, children. So yeah...

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I awoke to another bright, sunny morning in the room I shared with three other kids. This was my new life. When my sister died, my mom couldn't take loosing another child. She had miscarried so many times. May and I were her little miracles. And then May got sick. I was six when she first got sick. She died about a year later. As my sister was both the eighth baby she lost and the second survivor, my mom just lost it. Dad found her in the bathtub the next morning. Apparently, she had killed herself. Dad couldn't handle seeing me anymore. You look so much like your mother, he'd tell me, and every time I knew it pained him to look at me. That was five years ago.

So, here I am, in a foster home ironically called Uncle Tom's Cabin. It has nothing to do with the book by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The man's name is Tom, so his wife thought it'd be a cute name for their home. They board kids who have no where else to go. They don't technically adopt us, in case our parents want us back or something. But mostly troubled kids live here, so that's doubtful. I'm one of the few good kids. Tom and Linda appreciate that fact. They're really nice, too. I miss Mom and Dad and no one could ever replace them, but Tom and Linda are fairly decent substitutes.

I sat up and stared into a pair of chocolate brown eyes. But of course, who could forget my older brother? Well, he's not REALLY my brother, but he's close enough. Eric Forman was the first person to talk to me. Of course, he didn't really say anything to ME, but he nearly broke the arm of the girl who was picking on me. I'm kinda shy and quiet, so I get nervous when people talk to me. Apparently, Stacey wasn't used to that or, if she was, she didn't like it. Either way, she began taunting me. She started to backhand me when Eric came out of nowhere and grabbed her arm. He twisted it so bad, she started crying. He got in trouble.

Ever since then, he's looked after me. We sit and eat together. And talk. We talk a lot. Well, I talk a lot. And he listens. He does talk, just not very often.

At least he talks, though. There's this one girl, I think her name's Remy, and she doesn't talk at all. The other girls mess with her a lot. It makes me angry, too. I hate when people get picked on. But these girls just won't stop. Remy never says anything, though. I admire her bravery. Sometimes, I wish I could be like her.

"Hello, Brother!" Usually I am quite shy and I never say anything because of my shyness. But with Eric, it's another story. We've become quite close. I love talking to him.

He nodded his reply. "Hurry up and get a shower." Before everyone else does and takes the hot water away.

When he does talk, he usually only says about half of what he's thinking. He's not shy or anything. Just a little on the stoic side.

"Okay!" I smiled and gathered my things. Then I headed to an empty bathroom. Or I thought it was empty.

I pulled back the curtains on the shower and nearly screamed.

"R-R-R-R-REMY?!" I felt my entire face turn four shades redder than it normally was. There she was, standing in the shower, water running down her body, and what does she do? She just stares at me. No blush, no wide eyes, no screech to get out. Just a stare.

"I-I'm so s-sorry!!" I yanked the curtains back into place as best I could and ran. God, talk about embarrassing!

Once I reached the end of the hall (And, God, it was a looong hall!), I plopped to my knees. My breath came out quick and ragged. I never was the athletic type. But I can say I ran faster then than I ever have in my entire life. How did I not hear the shower? It was on! I really don't know. Maybe I've gone deaf? No. I heard Eric okay. Or maybe I just so used to hearing him speak, I imagined it….

Argh! Who cares? I just walked in on someone showering! That's horrible! And EMBARRASSING!

I felt a hand on my shoulder and nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned my head to see who the hand belonged to and it was none other than the girl I just walked in on, standing there clad in a rather short towel. My face turned bright red.

"I-I'm sorry about b-before! Really, I am! I-I thought the s-shower was empty!" I began rambling. Stuttering and rambling are two things I do when I'm nervous. Which is why I just prefer to keep my mouth shut.

She just nodded at me and kept walking, right around the corner. I stared after her dumbfounded. Did she just…? My eyes grew huge. I could have sworn I was going to pass out right there.

"You haven't showered, yet?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Uh…umm…uh, no…I got…"

"Distracted?" Got I felt like an idiot! And right in front of my best friend, too! My face went a few shades pinker.

"I guess you could say that…" And with that, I began telling him about my little trip to the so-called empty shower.

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So, what do you think? Should I continue it? I don't have too many ideas for this right now, so if no one likes it, I probably will be more reluctant to update. But who knows? I think it's cute. But it's all on you guys! So please review and tell me what you think!!

I'm sorry if some of the characters seem out of character. I tried to stick to their basic personalities while still giving them child like attributes. And I like the idea of Foreman being the overprotective older brother figure to Cameron. It's cute! So, if y'all liked it, I'll add character ages and friendships in the next chapter!

And this'll probably be a Thirteen/Cameron fic. Or if not pairing, there'll be major friendship and a small crush. (If you couldn't already tell!)

REVIEW!


	2. Uniforms and Morons

Hello! Most of this chapter is more ramblings from our dearly beloved Allison. I don't have many ideas for the beginnings of this, but I have TONS for later on. Well, as I promised, character ages and whatnot!!

**Allison Cameron:** 12 years old. Allison came from a nice home, very kind and caring. Her sister died and mother killed herself. Her father couldn't take care of her so he gave her up to a foster care. His current werabouts are unknown. Allison is quite shy around those she doesn't know. She's very curious and persistant, and when the time calls for it, she's not afraid to speak her mind. She's been here five years.

**Remy Hadley:** 14 years old. Remy has been mute since she entered the home three years ago. Nothing is known of her life so far. She is, however, quite fond of chocolate.

**Amber Volakis**: 14 years old. Amber came from a seemingly stable home, until her mother died of cancer. Her father then used her to replace her mother. Neighbors thought their relationship abusive and called it in. Not fond of anyone, she's the 'bully' in the home. She's been in the home for seven years.

**Stacy Warner**: 15 years old. Stacy is Amber's best friend and the only one who knows Amber's true nature; however Amber's even mean to her sometimes. Not much is known about Stacy's home life either. She's been here about four years.

**Lisa Cuddy:** 13 years old. Lisa is a typically happy girl, but her mood is subject to change. She is very mature for her age. She helps out a lot around the home and is usually seen with the younger children. Her parents had died in a car crash and her older brother took her in. He had a major drug and alcohol problem, however, so he was seen unfit to be her gurdian. That was two years ago.

**James Wilson:** 10 years old. James is very sweet and shy. He doesn't like to talk very much. He was brought in by DFCS one year prior to this fanfic. He was severely abused both verbally and physically and by both parents. He had an older brother who lived with him, but on his eighteenth birthday, he left. He promised to return to rescue James, but he never did. James still waits for his beloved brother. House took a possessive liking to the small child and now James is slowly replacing his brother with House. He also is always seen with a teddy bear his brother gave him.

**Gregory House:** 16 years old. Troubled teen does not describe this 16 year old. Screwed up and insane is slightly more acurate. House was abused severely as well, which is why he adores James so much. As a child, he acted a lot like James, but not exactly. He'd get random violet outbursts. (And he still does.) But as the years went by, his shyness (Which didn't last very long anyways.) dissapated into intense anger and hatred. Any time his father is mentioned, he gets a bit...crazy. He's been here only three years. But, before here, he had been hopping foster homes for two years.

**Eric Foreman**: 15 years old. Eric is Allison's 'older brother'. Very stoic, he only talks when necessary. Not much is known about him. He doesn't like talking about his past and Allison's perfectly fine with that. He arrived at the home a month before Allison.

**Robert Chase**: 8 years old. Will not show up for a while.

So, I think that's everyone. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone! I know I am. If so, I'll add them in the next chapter...So, this is a bit longer and sort of out of character for our little Cameron. But I hope you enjoy it. Also, reviews act as my fuel!

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I sat at the large breakfast table, prodding my food. I was hungry, but I didn't wanna eat. My heart still raced from this morning's previous event. I sighed. Maybe I could go talk to her again. You know, a formal, non-stuttering apology.

"Argh! I can't do that!!" My sudden outburst startled everyone. My face turned red and I ducked down in my chair. Why had I just said that aloud? I really wish I was invisible right now.

"I-If you don't mind my asking, what's on your mind?" Little James Wilson stood there holding his teddy bear with the most pathetic look I've ever seen. Even though he's ten, he looks and acts the youngest. There are kids younger than him, but sometimes even Tom and Linda think he's only five. He was brought here by DFCS a year ago. Poor baby was covered in cuts and bruises. He wouldn't talk. I don't think he could, either. Greg, who prefers to go by his last name House, immediately took to him. Now the two are inseparable. As well as that little teddy bear James carries around. He hasn't ever put that thing down.

"Hey, James!" I smiled warmly at him despite my embarrassment. "Well, you see, I did the most stupid, most embarrassing thing a person could do here. I walked in on someone showering. And now I have to figure out how to apologize. It's driving me nuts, though." James just had those large, sweet, deer-caught-in-the-headlights brown eyes that made you want to glomp him. And tell him everything he wants to know. I think it's impossible to say 'no' to him.

"Oh. That's not good. You could make a card. Everyone likes cards." His adorable, could-do-no-wrong smile did the trick. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed. SO CUTE!

"Put him down." The dangerously serious voice alarmed me and I set the kid down at once.

"Sorry." Jame's smiled pathetically to me. It was House, of course, and his protectiveness over the small, adorable child.

I went back to prodding my food and pondering. I COULD make her a card; except I can't draw or write cool poem things, nor do I have any good ideas. I can't just walk up to her and apologize again; with my luck, I'd start my stuttering match again. Maybe I could get her a gift. I sighed.

Maybe I could just forget about it and move on with my life. She doesn't seem to care that I walked in on her. So why should I?

This was bugging me way more than it should have!

I'll worry about it later!

I shoved the last piece of French toast in my mouth, grabbed my plate, dumped the remaining scrambled eggs into the dog's bowl, and washed my plate. I was probably one of the few that washed my own dishes.

"Hey, look, Amber! Allison's doing the dishes!" Stacy looked enthusiastic and the two dumped their plates on top of mine. And apparently, I washed everyone else's dishes, too, for as soon as she said that, several other kids started handing me their plates, bowls, forks, spoons, and glasses.

"Thanks, Ally-Babe! We really appreciate it!" Amber blew a kiss my way. The two giggled and walked off. They could be such jerks sometimes. But I didn't mind. I used to wash the dishes at home for mom. She worked a 12-hour day shift while Dad worked at night. It was the least I could do.

I felt one of the plates being taken from my grasp and I looked up. Needless to say, I was quite surprised to see Remy standing next to me, dishrag in one hand, and plate in the other. She glanced at me and continued scrubbing the plate.

"I-I appreciate you helping me, R-Remy, but you really don't really h-have to!" My hands started shaking and my heart raced. She put the dish in the rack to dry and grabbed another one.

Well, if she was going to help, there wasn't much I could do to stop her. But I could wash all the dishes before her so she didn't have as much to clean. And so that's what I began doing. I grabbed a fork, scrubbed, rinsed, put it in the rack, grabbed a bowl, and continued as quickly, yet effectively, as I possibly could. I wouldn't let her be dragged into my mess so easily.

"If it would help, I could wash my own plate…" That sweet, shy voice made me want to squeal.

"No, no, James! We've got it. But thank you so much! You're so sweet for offering!" My smile widened when he shyly gave me the plate and thanked me. AWWWW! And House just had to ruin my fangirl moments by dropping his bowl of unfinished Frosted Flakes in the sink and splashing milk on my cheek. JERK!

"Thanks, House!" I called after him with as much sarcasm as I could muster. I then proceeded to wash the rest of the stuff in the sink.

It felt like forever, but we finally finished. I slid down the cabinets and onto the floor, sighing.

"Thank you so much, Remy. I'm so grateful. It would have taken me forever to do all that by myself! I'm so glad you were there to help me!" I looked up to smile at her and had to resist the urge to twitch. She was no longer there. I wondered how much of my ramblings she heard. Oh, and great! I had been talking to thin air! Hopefully, no one saw me. Stacy and Amber already teased me enough. I didn't need them spreading rumors that I was crazy and talked to myself.

--

Sigh, school. I'm twelve years old and in seventh grade, but most if the time, I feel I should be in college or something. It's not that I'm incredibly smart. It's that my classmates are incredibly stupid. I mean, come on! Half of them can't even read out loud! I stutter when I read out loud, and a lot of the time, they do, too. That's not the problem. Not knowing how to pronounce 'Difficult' is. Difficult is not that difficult a word to pronounce. Especially not for a seventh grader. And the kid that had trouble has no mental problems. He's not retarded or anything. And he claims to know how to read. He even volunteers to read, so he doesn't mind it. But he can not read on a seventh grade level! GOD!

I hate feeling that the majority of my classmates is incompetent, but it's something I can't control. Unlike House, though, I never act on my belief. I treat everyone as though I don't feel that way about them.

But there are those who are retarded or have other problems. It's my job to tutor them. It's fun, though. I like helping people. I have offered to help some of the others. They promptly refused. That's why I don't like them. They're incompetent by choice. They could learn, but they don't want to.

Yet, I still find that my most interesting conversations stem from my teachers.

I don't have lunch with anyone from the foster care, so usually I insist on talking to my math teacher, Miss Violette. She's really nice and I'm her little pet. And I'm quite fond of math.

But currently, I'm sitting in history class taking notes on the Civil War. It's kind of boring. But I'll survive.

The bell rang and I headed to literature. Woo hoo. My favorite subject. I'd like it better if the class could understand literature. Or chose to understand it better. And my teacher's not much better. She's an incompetent dolt who doesn't know a thing about literature. I really hate thinking this way; I'm SUPPOSED to be the nice one. House is the jerk that hates everyone and thinks them all below his intelligence. But when someone believes that Romeo and Juliet was written by Edgar Allan Poe, I have a problem. On the bright side, this is her last year teaching. She's finishing out the year and then she's fired.

I smoothed out my skirt and sat down. Oh yeah. God hates me so much He decided to incorporate uniforms in my public school. And, go figure, they're a pedophile's dream. A pedophile probably designed them, too. Short sleeved sailor shirt, white, and a green skirt that barely reaches my knees. It's like something out of a Japanese comic book.

But at least it's better than some of the other uniforms I've seen.

"Miss Cameron?! Hello? Are you in there?"

"Huh? What?" I stared right up at my blond, smiling teacher. Her dark brown eyebrows suggested she wasn't a natural blond. My face flushed and I ducked down. I hate not paying attention. "I-I'm s-sorry….w-what was the q-question?"

"What year was Frankenstein written, silly goose?"

"It was first published anonymously in 1818. Shelly then republished it in 1831 under her name." My response was almost automatic. I don't always know the answer, but when I do, it comes out almost robotically. I'm just glad I don't stutter.

"Very good."

I sighed and began doodling again.

2:45 and it's time for my last class of the day, P.E. This is the only class that the middle and high schools combine. So, in my class, are Amber and Remy. Amber's a freshman and Remy's actually in eighth grade. Remy's in my math class, too.

Unfortunately, we have the worst gym uniforms in the world. They're these red bloomer-type shorts that fit like a swimsuit and, of course, a white shirt.

"Everyone start stretching." I hate our coach, too. He's such a pervert. He sits and watches us girls. 'Stares' is more like it. On the bright side, though, I'm underdeveloped and he doesn't seem to care much about me. On the horrid side, Remy's not. And he's fond of her. And I wanna kick him every time I see his eyes following her.

"Now, pair up and begin those stretches." We have team stretches, too. We pair up and one lies on the ground while the other pulls their leg as far up as possible. Usually, I end up paired with either Remy or some other girl. Today, I was lucky and got Remy.

We stick with our partners the rest of the class period. When I'm with Remy, class passes quicker. So I was pleasantly surprised when our coach told us to go change back in.

At four, the bus brought us foster kids back to our stop and we headed home as a group. I took a long bath and ate an early dinner. I then plopped down in Eric's bed and began my long rant about how annoying school was and how I can't wait to get to college with people who are far more intelligent than middle schoolers who gossip about who's sleeping with whom and who dumped whom.

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So, what do you think? I know it's probably not the best, but when writing an AU, I have to make sure my audience understands what's going on. So, obviously, I know why certain people act certain ways, but you may not. If anything's confusing, please, feel free to ask questions. Amd, yes, Cameron's school life sucks. But I'm a sick degenerate who likes torturing her favorite characters, so life's gotta be as hard as possible for poor everyone.

Well, opinions are awesome and reviews keep me going! It'd be awesome if I could receive at least ONE review for this. I'd like to know if people actually think this is a cool idea or not. Should I keep writing, or just keep this in my head.

So, until next time!


	3. Amber's New Pet

Hello! I have gotton reviews requesting a continuation of this, so I've decided not to ditch it. That's good. I really didn't want to ditch it either. I'm quite fond of this idea. However, as I have said many times before, I don't have too many ideas for it. I have some, but if you guys have any suggestions, feel free to send them in. I won't promise to put them in, but if I like them and can play off them, I will.

This chapter may be a little weird and what not. I'm still attempting to explain everything. So, please, bear with me.

So, all the reviews made me really happy! I adore getting them and ever since I started writing, I try to review every fic I read. I realize just how happy one little review can make an author. So to show my appreciation, I shall comment to each review!!

**whycantigetadecentname**: Thank you for the review! It's a short update, but here it is! I hope you like it.

**angel0wonder**: Thank you!! I definitely will keep writing this! I was just worried no one would like the idea. And if no one was reading, why continue? But if even one person reads this, it's definitely worth updating, just to make that one person happy!

**ValykirieRevolution**: Thanks! I, too, am kind of picky about AUs. But there aren't enough of them for House and I thought something like this would be cute. And it's fun for me to write! I am glad people can understand the characters (Well, I hope y'all can) since they're child forms of themselves and therefore act a little different than their future adult forms. But I hope no one has too much trouble with the situation. I'm really not good at explaining how exactly this works. That's why there's not much dialogue right now. (There's quite a bit in this chapter, though)

And last, but certainly not least...!

**cryingblacktears**: I squeed when I read your comment! Awww! You have no idea how happy I was! And just like Ravenna, you have to be a smarty pants, too. Hehe! Yes, everyone's called by their first name, but it's weird for me calling House 'Greg', so he prefers going by his last name! Because I am the authoress and I can do that! MWAHAHA! Anyways, it's okay if you don't care for femmslash; I used to not care for it, either. But anime changed that...It'll probably be a while before they get together, anyways. This is a slow, progressing relationship. For now, at least. I may get bored of waiting and that could change, but for now, it's slower.

And for everyone else, I hopre you enjoy this chapter and remember, I love getting reviews! Hinthint!

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I yawned and stretched. My feet hit the edge of the bed and my hands hit the headboard. I was getting a little big for this bed. This is the same bed I had when I first arrived. I'm quite fond of it, too.

After a few minutes, I tossed the covers to the side, yawned once more, and headed for a bathroom. I stared at the floor as my feet moved me from bathroom to bathroom, searching for a door that was unlocked. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and SMACK! I ran right into someone.

"I'm so sor-" I looked up to see just who it was I carelessly ran into. I was surprised, and a little frightened, to see Amber sitting on the ground, rubbing her forehead.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" She looked up at me and her steel blue eyes narrowed. Then, shockingly, they brightened. "Hey, Ally! How have you been?"

"…Um, good…" I eyed her suspiciously.

"I'm so sorry for running into you! I so should have been paying attention. I got lost in thought. Sorry." She smiled at me. It seemed sincere enough, but if I've learned something for as long as I've been here, it's that Amber is not one to be messed with.

"It's okay…but it really is my fault. I-I'm sorry."

"No, no! Not your fault at all! Come on babe. Let's go for a walk!" She grinned at me.

"I-I was gonna go t-take a s-s-shower…" With each word I uttered, her stare intensified.

"But we never get to hang out, Allison." Her tone suggested 'Walk with me or I'll make your life even more of a hellish nightmare than it already is.'

"O-okay! Y-yeah, let's go…" I let out a nervous giggle. Amber always got what she wanted. Or she'd make you miserable.

"Did I ever tell you how pretty you are?" She smiled at me. "I really am quite envious of you."

"T-thanks" Even though she scared me a hell of a lot, I couldn't help but blush at the compliment.

"Oh, it's no problem. After all, it's the truth." She smiled happily at me. I shivered. I had seen Amber compliment people before and somehow, that never ended well. I always avoided her, or, when she'd start to comment, I always had Eric to cling to. Now, though, he was no where in sight.

"You look just like a doll, Ally. So pretty." She took my hand in hers and I noted that her hands were quite calloused. "And your skin is so soft. Unlike mine."

"Ehh…What about you, Amber? You're pretty too."

"Oh, I know. I've always known how beautiful I am. But I get the feeling you don't realize just how beautiful you are." She glanced at me and I took note that her smile had disappeared. It had been replaced by a haunted expression. And her eyes had shaded over.

"Amber, are you…okay?" My voice quivered.

"Oh, yes! I'm sorry. I was remembering something." Her smile had returned full force. But just as soon as it returned, it was gone again. "Hey, mute. What are YOU doing here? Can't you see Allison and I are having a PRIVATE conversation?!"

Remy just stared at her. Then her eyes wandered over to me. I blushed and stared at the floor.

"H-hey, Remy." I bit my bottom lip.

"Don't say 'hey' to HER! We're supposed to be ignoring her, remember?" My eyes snapped up to Amber.

"I don't remember that. And I like talking to Remy."

"You do, do you? You like her more than me? Allison?" Her eyes were glazed again and stone blue bore into bright blue.

"I…I…" I had no idea what to say. I guess Remy didn't want to cause any more trouble than she though she had and began walking past us. My eyes pleaded for her not to leave me. I had always wondered what happened to those Amber took as her 'pets', but I had no intention of finding out.

Remy kept walking. I felt my eyes tear up. She had seen my pleading eyes, but she was ignoring me. Just as she walked past me and the tears were about to fall, I felt her hand on mine. Her fingers wrapped around my small hand and she tugged on my arm.

She kept walking and I found myself being dragged by her. Amber glared and grabbed my other hand.

"Like I said, MUTE, WE are hanging out. Besides, what could Allison and a girl like yourself have in common? Hmm?" Much to my relief, Remy kept walking and my hand slid out of Amber's grip.

Just as Amber was about to say something else, Stacy ran over.

"Hey, Amber! What's…going on?" She was glancing from me to Remy to Amber and back to me.

"Nothing, anymore. Hey, Stacy, dear? Allison has decided she likes the damned mute more than me. Shall we show her what happens when people don't like me? Shall she be our newest pet?" I felt my heart stop. Stacy's eyes showed every emotion from reluctance to enthusiasm. Then she smiled maliciously.

"Yes, let's."

* * *

So, like I said, weird. I can't really explain Amber's personality except that she's kind of screwed up. She has a...different...past and behaves accordingly. She had always been adored by her father and now that she's here, she's just another troubled teen. And she doesn't like that. As for Stacy, she's not really malicious. She's just very loyal to Amber and will do whatever Amber wants her to do.

But yes, trouble for poor Cameron. Just how far will Amber take the torture? Keep reading to find out!


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